People residing near Ambala Air Force Station had a narrow escape when a bomb exploded at the Air Force station and its splinters damaged windowpanes of many houses near G T Road.

Though there is no clarity as to what went wrong,the Air Force authorities are calling it a safe detonation of bomb,but commissioner of police,Ambala suggested that it was a technical snag.

Rajbir Deswal,Commissioner of Police,Ambala-Panchkula range,said,Air Force was to conduct a mock exercise of which they informed us. We had given them adequate force and taken additional adequate measures involved with it. At another location,an Air Force aircraft was preparing to take off and during the process,a bomb apparently fell out of the craft probably because of some technical snag or wrong positioning. We have registered a case under the provisions of IPC as well as Explosives Act. We shall be investigating whose fault led to this blast. It could have been extremely dangerous had it fallen on the houses in the vicinity.

According to sources in the Indian Air Force,On December 11 at about 8 pm,during a routine flying sortie at Ambala Air Force Station,a Jaguar aircraft developed an emergency and the pilot had to drop excess load. The pilot jettisoned drop tanks and two 2000 pound bombs in the airfield. He saved the aircraft and no damage on ground was reported.

The load which was jettisoned was dropped well within the airfield. The Air Force called the demolition team to defuse the bombs. All necessary precautions were taken by the demolition party who defused one bomb fully and the other partially which was detonated on Friday morning under controlled conditions, they added.

Sources denied allegations that the bombs dropped by mistake when the aircraft took off,but said the pilots decision saved the aircraft. As in any aircraft accident or incident there will be an inquiry,the sources added.